A4 (Croatia) - Notable Structures

Notable Structures

The A4 motorway Varaždin–Breznički Hum section route runs through hilly landscape requiring a number of viaducts and tunnels, especially along the Breznički Hum–Novi Marof section and around the Varaždinske Toplice exit. Each comprises four traffic lanes, while the viaducts have emergency lanes. Two most notable structures are the Hrastovec and Vrtlinovec tunnels, located to the south and north of the exit, respectively. Both of the tunnels consist of two tubes each, and each of them carry two traffic lanes. The Hrastovec Tunnel tubes are unequal in length, as the southbound tube is 498 metres (1,634 ft) long, while the northbound tube is 523 metres (1,716 ft) long. The Vrtlinovec Tunnel southbound tube is 628 metres (2,060 ft) long and its northbound tube is 522 metres (1,713 ft) long, earning the distinction of being the longest tunnel on the A4 route. There are two major bridges on the A4 motorway, both of them located north of Varaždin. The longest one is the Drava Bridge, carrying the motorway across the Drava River, measuring 507.7 metres (1,666 ft) long. There is also the Zrinski Bridge, carrying the A4 motorway across Mur River and across the Croatia–Hungary border, thus representing the northern terminus of the motorway, where northbound A4 traffic defaults to the Hungarian M7 motorway towards Nagykanizsa and Budapest. The 216-metre (709 ft) Zrinski Bridge was the final structure completed on the route. Both the Drava and Mura bridges carry six motorway lanes.